Rumors for December, 2009
Atlanta signs outfielder Matt Diaz to 1 year contract
Posted by: | CommentsThe Atlanta Braves re-signed outfielder Matt Diaz to a $2.55 million, one-year contract according to ESPN.com. Diaz, 32 on Opening Day 2010, is a career .310 hitter with the Braves, Royals and Rays.
Atlanta did not offer a contract to outfielder Ryan Church, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, or second baseman Kelly Johnson.
Blue Jays sign Buck, Bautista and McGowan to 1 year contracts
Posted by: | CommentsThe Toronto Blue Jays had a busy weekend. They have screen to a one-year, $2 million contract with free-agent catcher John Buck according to ESPN. Buck was non-tendered by the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. This move became possible after the Royals signed veteran catcher Jason Kendall last week. Buck is a lifetime .235 hitter in in 582 games in 6 seasons with the Royals. You can see his complete batting stats here.
Also Sunday, the Blue Jays re-signed Jose Bautista to a one-year, $2.4 million deal. Bautista batted .235, 13 home runs and drove in 40 RBI’s with the Blue Jays last season while taking home $2.4 million. You can see his complete statistics and contract history here.
The Jays also signed injured RHP Dustin McGowan to a one-year, $500,000, contract on Sunday. McGowan gets a slight raise from his 2009 salary of $419, 400.
Outfielder Joey Gathright and catcher Raul Chavez, who were both given minor league contracts.
Scott Olsen signs 1 year incentive based deal with Washington Nationals
Posted by: | CommentsPitcher Scott Olsen has signed a 1-year contract with the Washington Nationals for $1 million according to ESPN.com. Olsen was non-tendered a contract by the Nationals on Saturday, but immediately re-signed. In the incentive based contract, Olsen can make as much as $4 million if he makes 33 starts for the Nationals in 2010. He made $2.8 million in his injury shortened 2009 season. You can see his complete contract information here.
Olsen came to the Nationals in a 5 player trade with the Florida Marlins in November 2008. Olsen was 2-4 with a 6.03 ERA in 11 games with the Nationals in 2009, but suffered a shoulder injury in July. You can see Olsen’s complete stats here. In all fairness to both the team and the player, it’s nice to see that Olsen is being paid $1 million – like somebody that is capable of double-digit wins. It’s better to see that there’s motivation for him to pitch a complete season and be rewarded greatly if he succeeds.
Padres and Red Sox can't come to terms regarding Adrian Gonzalez
Posted by: | CommentsPower hitting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has been involved with many trade rumors this off season. It appears that any deal with the Red Sox is going nowhere according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. The Padres are asking for Clay Buchholz and RHP prospect Casey Kelly or outfielder Ryan Westmoreland. For the time being the Red Sox are not willing to give up Kelly or Westmoreland.
Gonzalez has been wanting to go to contending team with the Red Sox as his prefered destination. The career .281 hitter over 6 season with the Rangers and Padres is signed through 2011 and he’ll be making $4.75 million in 2010 and $5.5 million in 2011. He’s a steal at those numbers, and you can read his contract info here, and the Padres are hoping to leverage his affordable contract value by acquiring future prospects as they continue to rebuild.
You can read previous Gonzalez rumors with the Mariners here.
Bay turns down Red Sox latest offer
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to ESPNBoston.com, free agent outfielder Jason Bay has turned down the Boston Red Sox’ latest offer and was ready to “move on” from Boston. The most recent offer by Boston was estimated at 4-year, $60 million, roughly the same offer that they gave Bay last summer.
The New York Mets gave Jason Bay a contract offer on Thursday, December 10 for a reported 4-year, $65 million. Bart Hubich of the New York Post believes that a 5-year deal with an additional $20 million for that fifth season can seal the deal.
What does "non-tender" mean?
Posted by: | CommentsYou hear it right about now every year, “Team X will non-tender Player Y”. What does “non-tender” mean? It’s a fancy word for not offering a player a contract and thus making him a free agent.
Each team has a 40 man roster that consists of active players in the Major Leagues, players on the disabled list, and player in the Minor Leagues. The 40 man roster is like a protective cover over the team’s best 40 players. Every December 12, each team has to decide which of their 40 players on their roster they want to keep for next year. For most of the 40 players, the decision is simple. You already have a contract and are living the good life, or the team values you enough that they will pay you a fair market value for a contract for the upcoming season. For those players on the 40 man roster that have performed poorly or may not be worth the investment for the next season, a team will non-tender them or not give them a contract. The player then becomes a free agent and is removed from the team’s roster.
This is a high level explanation of what “non-tender”means and the circumstances that must occur to get to that stage. There are other factors that you should consider such as a player’s Major League Service time, options years to move between the Major League and Minor League club, and waivers. I’ll save those for another conversation, but if you want to read over a good article, check this one out.
Saturday's Roy Halladay and Jason Bay rumors
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s your Saturday does of Roy Halladay and Jason Bay rumors.
ESPN’s Jason Stark reports that the Angels are not interested in Halladay unless he’s willing to sign an extension. Toronto is pressing the Angels for 20-year-old left-hander Trevor Reckling and shortstop Erick Aybar.
The Angels continue to speak with the agents of Jason Bay, but one source reports that the Angels may be prioritizing starting pitching over the pursuing of Jason Bay. They go on to say that a pitcher that may be on the Angel’s radar is Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves. The Angels also are continuing to speak with free agent pitcher John Lackey.. Lackey has been searching for a fifth year. It is believed that Lackey turned down a four year, $72 million extension in the spring of 2009.
Will a fifth year for Bay seal the deal for the Mets?
Posted by: | CommentsBart Hubich of the New York Post reports that the Mets need to add a fifth year to their contract offer in order to sign highly coveted OF Jason Bay. Bay has received the Mets 4-year, $63 million offer on Thursday and has already turned down the Red Sox offer of 4-year, $60 million offered last month. Hubich believes that a fifth year in the neighborhood of $20 million can seal the deal for the Mets.
